Faculty Meetings: March 22, 2011 Minutes

Dean Andy Newcomb called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

• The minutes of the February 24, 2011 meeting were approved as circulated.
• The actions of A&S Academic Council were approved as circulated

Valerie Wallen, Director of Organization Learning and Development in HR; Joan Neff, Associate Provost; and Steve Allred, Provost, led a discussion of The Chronicle’s Great Colleges to Work For Survey results.  The purposes of the discussion were to identify possible reasons for particular responses along with issues to be considered in A&S before the next survey.  Of concern were low-percentage responses to questions on the Higher Education Workplace Survey Update (see attached) about (1) the meaningfulness of faculty recognition and awards; (2) regular and open communication among faculty, administration and staff; (3) faculty involvement in planning and decision making at the University level; (4) the addressing of low performance at the departmental level; and (5) the role of faculty in shared governance.

Other topics raised during the discussion were the sizable disparities between men and women on questions of fairness, communication and collaboration on the General Demographics handout (see attached) and the problem of poor faculty attendance at open forums and general meetings.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:53 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Gene Anderson, Secretary

Faculty Meetings: March 22, 2011 Agenda

Our next faculty meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, March 22, starting at 4:00 p.m. in the Brown Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

Our agenda will be:

• Approval of minutes from our February 24, 2011 meeting. (please see below)
• Approval of Academic Council actions shown below
• The Chronicle's Great Colleges to Work For survey follow up (Joan Neff and Valerie Wallen)
• Other Business

Next A&S Faculty Meeting
Thursday, April 21, 2011 in the Brown Alley Room of Weinstein Hall beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Actions for Academic Council approval on March 1, 2011

Philosophy

Revised course proposal (number change only):

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophical Problems and Arguments (formerly PHIL 200)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

Actions for Academic Council approval on March 15, 2011

Mathematics

Proposed program revision in mathematical economics (MTEC) major:

This moves ECON 340 Econometrics from the required list of courses to the list of ECON electives.

We have also asked the registrar to change the pre-requisites for MTEC 400 Capstone from Math 330 to Math 329.

This reduces the requirements for the major from 16 units to 15 units. The latter change addresses the difficulty that some majors have had fitting the capstone into their schedules. The reasons for moving Econometrics from the core to the elective also relate to difficulty students had fitting its long prerequisite chain into their schedules, particularly when combined with plans to study abroad.

Rhetoric and Communication Studies

Revised course proposal (number change only):

RHCS 100 Public Speaking (formerly RHCS 200)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

Academic Council: March 15, 2011 Minutes

Dean Newcomb called the meeting to order at 10:33 a.m. The minutes of the March 1, 2011 meeting were approved.

General Informational Items

Dean Newcomb congratulated Jim Retting on his new position with the U.S. Naval Academy.

Consent Agenda

The following proposals were approved without further discussion; the MLC proposal for a new linguistics major was moved to the discussion agenda:

Mathematics

Proposed program revision in mathematical economics (MTEC) major:

This moves ECON 340 Econometrics from the required list of courses to the list of ECON electives.

We have also asked the registrar to change the pre-requisites for MTEC 400 Capstone from Math 330 to Math 329.

This reduces the requirements for the major from 16 units to 15 units. The latter change addresses the difficulty that some majors have had fitting the capstone into their schedules. The reasons for moving Econometrics from the core to the elective also relate to difficulty students had fitting its long prerequisite chain into their schedules, particularly when combined with plans to study abroad.

Modern Literatures & Cultures

Proposal for linguistics major

Rhetoric and Communication Studies

Revised course proposal (number change only):

RHCS 100 Public Speaking (formerly RHCS 200)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Discussion Agenda

The Department of Modern Literatures & Cultures is proposing a new linguistics major. Dean Newcomb requested Council feedback about the proposal. Overall, there was a concern about a sustained demand for such a major and whether there would be resources (instructors/courses) enough to carry it out. It was suggested to start with linguistics minor or a concentration, or perhaps serve students through our interdisciplinary major option. The proposal will be revised and brought back to Council. In addition, the dean would like an accompanying list of available resources.

The dean requested Council feedback regarding his memo accompanying FY12 salary letters. It was agreed that the new dean might want to discuss with the faculty the extent of information that does into the dean’s memo. Until then the dean urged faculty to contact him regarding any salary questions.

Associate Professor of Chemistry and T&P Committee Member Michele Hamm reviewed the modifications to the T&P document in the faculty handbook. The points of concern were as follows:

Section A., paragraph two – Council expressed concern that excellence in each of the three areas is not a realistic expectation; in the area of service, in particular. Others believed that the document is sufficient in explaining the “level of excellence” for each area as it is outlined later in the document. The T&P Committee will revisit this first point and update the language.

Section B, #2, c. The Role of the Candidate for Tenure and/or Promotion, paragraph four – Council requested clarification of this point to accurately reflect what is acceptable. Three choices are available:

All materials due on September 1st;
All materials due on September 1st, however “updates” may be submitted on previously submitted publications/work. No new material could be added, with the exception of the notification of the receipt of a major award, prize, or grant, or the acceptance of a manuscript for publication (as previously stated in the handbook);
Materials may be submitted until the BOT makes their final recommendation.

Of the three options, Council was most agreeable to option #2. This item will be revisited by the T&P Committee.

Section B, #2, e. The Role of the Tenure and Promotion Committee and the Dean, paragraph eight – There was some concerns about the timing of having a “wrap up” meeting with Academic Council; some believed a meeting should be held prior to the beginning of the T&P cycle so that there would be no identifying characteristics of any one particular case. Other Council members believed a post mortem approach to be best. The T&P Committee proceedings are typically wrapped up in February and the new Committee convenes in May, leaving a very short window of opportunity either way.

The meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Burns

Academic Council: March 15, 2011 Agenda

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 15, 2011, from 10:30-11:45 in the Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of minutes from the March 1, 2011 meeting.

General Informational Items

Deadline for nominations for the David Evans Outstanding Scholar/Artist Awards is March 25. These are the awards announced at Honors Convocation. The recipients of these awards are to be undergraduates in the School of Arts and Sciences, typically of senior standing, who have done independent scholarship or creative work of unusually high quality, far exceeding what is normally expected of undergraduates. Although the projects for which awards are given may have originated within the context of a course, they will typically have been pursued outside and beyond the requirements and limits of coursework. Nominations should come from the chair or program coordinator. In nominating a student, the department chair or program coordinator should send a letter to the Undergraduate Research Committee, explaining why the student is worthy of recognition, and enclosing whatever documentation or evidence is relevant (Copies of papers or works or art; evaluation by mentors; conference or journal acceptance letters, etc.) Nominations and supporting materials should arrive in the Dean's Office no later than Friday, March 25.

Consent Agenda

We will use the Consent Agenda to deal with routine business that requires Academic Council action and would not be expected to generate discussion. Any item can be moved from the Consent Agenda to the Discussion Agenda.

Mathematics

Proposed program revision in mathematical economics (MTEC) major:

This moves ECON 340 Econometrics from the required list of courses to the list of ECON electives.

We have also asked the registrar to change the pre-requisites for MTEC 400 Capstone from Math 330 to Math 329.

This reduces the requirements for the major from 16 units to 15 units. The latter change addresses the difficulty that some majors have had fitting the capstone into their schedules. The reasons for moving Econometrics from the core to the elective also relate to difficulty students had fitting its long prerequisite chain into their schedules, particularly when combined with plans to study abroad.

Modern Literatures & Cultures

Proposal for linguistics major

Rhetoric and Communication Studies

Revised course proposal (number change only):

RHCS 100 Public Speaking (formerly RHCS 200)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Discussion Agenda

• Feedback on FY12 salaries
• Revised T&P recommendations (see attached)
• Other business

Documents



Next Meeting

We will meet on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305).

Seeking nominations for David C. Evans Awards

For the past twelve years, we have recognized extraordinary accomplishments by Arts and Sciences students by awarding prizes at the A&S Honors Convocation in April. I am writing to ask for nominations for another round of David Evans Outstanding Scholar/Artist Awards.

The recipients of these awards are to be undergraduates in the School of Arts and Sciences, typically of senior standing, who have done independent scholarship or creative work of unusually high quality, far exceeding what is normally expected of undergraduates. Although the projects for which awards are given may have originated within the context of a course, they will typically have been pursued outside and beyond the requirements and limits of coursework.

Because we want to reserve these awards for superior students of notable accomplishments, a department shouldn't feel that it must nominate a student every year. For the same reason, departments usually shouldn't nominate more than one student unless they feel they have two or more students whose achievements are so remarkable that both deserve to be nominated.

In nominating a student, the department chair or program coordinator should send a letter to the Undergraduate Research Committee, explaining why the student is worthy of recognition, and enclosing whatever documentation or evidence is relevant  (Copies of papers or works or art; evaluation by mentors; conference or journal acceptance letters, etc.) Nominations and supporting materials should arrive in the Dean's Office no later than Friday, March 25.

Thank you.

Kathy Hoke

Academic Council: March 1, 2011 Minutes

Dean Newcomb called the meeting to order at 10:33 a.m. The minutes of the February 15, 2011 meeting were approved.

General Informational Items

N/A

Consent Agenda

The following proposals were approved without further discussion:

Philosophy

Revised course proposal (number change only):

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophical Problems and Arguments (formerly PHIL 200)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Discussion Agenda

Associate Dean Kathy Hoke reviewed the revisions to the proposal for documentation on student transcript of summer research. Council unanimously approved.

Dean Newcomb requested Council feedback regarding the revisions to the residency requirement proposed by University Registrar Susan Breeden. Council had no further comment. The proposal will be brought to the University Faculty Meeting.

The dean encouraged Council to continue thinking about the department and program “profiles” for the new dean.

The dean briefed Council on the approved FY12 budget. The merit-based, equity adjustments focused primarily on faculty of practice and assistant professors will take place as originally planned. Some full professors and a very small number of associate professors will also receive merit-based, equity adjustments. These adjustments are a down payment toward correcting the A&S faculty salary deficit. The next steps will include establishing a benchmark for faculty salaries and developing a long-term plan to reach that benchmark.

Regarding the modifications to the T&P Committee document, there were concerns about the language, “if the provost and president differ from T&P committee….” Some thought that it could be seen as privileging the T&P Committee over others. The dean will bring the concerns to the next T&P Committee meeting.

The Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) has been discussing ways to make endowed chair positions more appealing. The dean requested Council feedback regarding endowed chair recruitment. Suggestions included lowering the teaching load from 3-2, increasing salary above the range, and increasing the research fund (currently set at $5,000). However, there was considerable concern about the equity of such changes. Council also stated that there is some difficulty in recruiting high profile, full professors. Next year, there will be three endowed chair recruitments (Tucker-Boatwright, Weinstein International Chair, and the WGSS Chair). The dean encouraged Council to continue to think about the topic for future discussions.

The meeting adjourned at 11:22 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Burns

Academic Council: March 1, 2011 Agenda

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 1, 2011, from 10:30-11:45 in the Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of minutes from the February 15, 2011 meeting.

General Informational Items

N/A

Consent Agenda

We will use the Consent Agenda to deal with routine business that requires Academic Council action and would not be expected to generate discussion. Any item can be moved from the Consent Agenda to the Discussion Agenda.

Philosophy

Revised course proposal (number change only):

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophical Problems and Arguments (formerly PHIL 200)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Discussion Agenda

• Proposal for Documentation on Student Transcript of Summer Research - Revised (see attached)
• Further discussion about the revision to residency requirement (Susan Breeden)
• Further discussion about department and program "profiles" for new dean
• FY12 budget update
• Recommendations from T&P Committee (see attached)
• Recruiting endowed chairs
• Other business

Documents



Next Meeting

We will meet on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305).